Cat, Wolf, Eagle
by 9foxgrl
Summary: After the Colossal Titan destroyed the wall of Shinganshina; Eren, Mikasa and Armin were taken by an Abnormal to the Beast Titan for his experiments. Five years later they escaped with less than normal abilities. Now if only Eren had been able to control his instincts.
1. For Want of a Fish

Cat, Wolf and Eagle

_After the Colossal Titan destroyed the wall of Shinganshina; Eren, Mikasa and Armin were taken by an Abnormal to the Beast Titan for his experiments. Five years later they escaped with less than normal abilities. Now if only Eren had been able to control his instincts. _

* * *

Wall Rose was a pretty big district full of sights and smells, but it was the sign of a pair of wings that made Eren detour from his mission of food. He squirmed through the gate with no problem. Obviously no one had any issue with a little black cat walking around.

He sat in a sunny spot watching some new recruits work with the 3DMG for a bit until a woman with short orange hair told them to break for lunch.

Eren's nose twitched as he caught the scent of roasted fish, bringing him back to his objective. His kitty stomach growled. Quietly he padded forward, being able to shape shift into a non-suspicious kitty was helpful when scouting out food, especially around soldiers.

He meowed as he caught sight of the man eating the fish at an outside table. Somewhere in the market district Mikasa felt as if her brother was about to do something stupid and broke off from her merry chase with some local military police.

"Beat it cat." The man growled.

"Come on Levi, it's not like being nice to a stray will hurt you." Commented another man nearby.

"It's a _filthy_ stray!"

'_Fine…time to bring out the Titan slayer!'_ Eren though. With a pitiful meow he drew the male's attention again, this time he looked at him with big eyes.

"Not going to work, stupid cat." The man…Levi…replied.

'_Alright no, more nice kitty.'_

Wiggling, he pawed closer then jumped at the man as he raised his fish to take another bite. Mid-jump, Eren felt his form shift again.

'_Oh…catnip…'_

Eren turned into his true fifteen year old male self…and crashed into Levi. Barely noticing their lips touch for a brief second. Eren blinked as he noticed the precarious position they were in.

"Uh…Nyan?" Eren meowed trying to look innocent. _'Curse you one hour time limit!'_

"WHAT THE HELL?"

"Run Kitty! Run!" shouted a woman holding a half-eaten potato.

Eren didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed the fish and ran like the hounds of Hell (aka Mikasa) was behind him. He quickly shifted back into cat form and darted through the shouting crowd.

"Get back here you filthy thief!" Levi yelled swinging a blade.

"Nyan! Nyan!" _No way!_

Eren squirmed through the gates and onto some boxes before he shifted again as he landed on a rooftop. He winced as he saw a grappling hook hit the roof as well and the man land in front of him.

'_Catnip!_' Eren thought before he was tackled to the ground. The man resorted to using grapple moves to try and restrain him as Eren instinctively squirmed to try and escape.

'_Can't be locked up! No! Not again! Have to be free! I want to be free!' _

Levi POV

An echoing howl made me stop in time to dodge the powerful jaws of a wolf. I slid down the slope of the roof, just grabbing the edge, when I managed to pull myself up a bit, my jaw dropped as the wold shifted into the form of a girl. The roof tiles where she landed were all cracked and broken.

"We've wasted enough time on the hunt, let's go. Armin and our guest are waiting" she ordered as she jumped off the three story building, landing on the streets as a wolf.

I waiting a minute before I started to follow. I have to admit I was very curious about how they could go from animal to human in such a short spick of time.

I had to hold back several times and keep downwind because I think the girl seemed to catch my scent on the air. I finally lost them as they reached the ruins of Shinaganshina. There was a small bolt hole that I was able to look through in time to see the boy hit a 5m titan in the back of its neck and take it out in one blow.

I marked the bolt hole they took and headed back. Something tells me that when Hanji learns of humans who can turn into a cat or wolf capable of outrunning a 3DMG and take out a 5m titan…we'll be back in the morning.

* * *

_A/N: Now…whether or not for this to be a yaoi…uh….my mind is conflicted._


	2. Ruins of Shinganshina

Cat, Wolf, Eagle

9foxgrl

**Levi POV**

Yup I was right. No sooner had I told Erwin and Hanji about what that cat boy and wolf girl did she started to squeal like an excited child.

"I wonder what his claws are made of. Maybe a similar alloy to our blades or something stronger?" she squealed. "But to be able to get behind a 5m without any gear…His reflex and speed must be incredible. And the girl? You said she could run at an incredible strength and track your scent?"

"Yeah, the area where she landed on the roof had cracked tiles."

She turned to Erwin with bright eyes. "Can we go find them tomorrow? Please Erwin?"

Erwin groaned. "Hanji, we can't risk our troops by going to an area that is crawling with Titans. Shinganshina was never fully cleared-"

"But those kids are there!" she retorted with her 'cute sparkly' eyes. By Sina it was so terrifying I nearly choked on my tea. "Cute innocent little kids."

"No Hanji, we can't-"

"Levi~!"

'_Oh no. Don't drag me into this woman.'_

"Levi~! Help me out. You want to go and meet your favorite cute Kitty again don't you?" she cooed.

This time I really did choke on my tea.

"My _WHAT_?" I yelped.

If it was possible to compare her to the Smiling Titan now was the time.

"Aw~! Don't be so shy." She cooed as she hugged me. "I heard that the cute little Kitty gave you a _kiss_ in exchange for your lunch yesterday."

'_Kiss?' _

The little scene from yesterday when the cat became a teenager replayed in my head in slow motion as I remembered.

I swear my face must have been tomato red because Erwin was staring at me like someone had told him Nile had gotten so drunk that he broke a hip just walking to the toilet.

"Oh? You didn't mention that in your report Levi." He snickered.

"Don't read so much in depth to it! It was nothing!" I snapped. Oh Sina I could feel my cheeks burning.

"You're blushing." Erwin teased.

"Shut up!"

"Ooh! Is that why you chased him? So you knew where your little Kitty-cat lived?"

"Hanji I swear to Sina I will break this chair on your head!"

"You're not making this easier on yourself."

Why do I have friends like this? Oh yeah, because the other friends I used to hang around with in the Capital underground are either dead, in prison, or on the run from the Military Police.

So basically they're on vacation somewhere in the area of the Wall Rose.

"Tell you what, if you really want to go tomorrow Hanji…you can let lover boy over there escort you."

"WHAT?" I shouted, but it was muffled by Hanji's squeals of joy.

"-And…you can take any _volunteers _with you. If you can convince them to come back with you, you may bring them here."

"THANK YOU!" Hanji squealed as she hugged Erwin and ran to the door. "I'll go tell the recruits! They're going to be so excited!"

And with a crash of the door, she was gone. Like a hurricane.

"Remind me again why you just don't break down and marry her?" I asked dryly.

Erwin just patted me on the head and said sagely; "Because it would take a stronger man than me to tame that wild horse."

'_Right, he's just too weak to admit that he's barely a man at all.'_

"Besides…we still have a LOT to talk about."

"About what?"

"Your precious kitten of course. Did you at least get a name or did you steal a kiss and run?"

"He was the one that ran from me!" I snapped.

-Time for a page break, nyan.-

**Shinganshina Ruins**

Eren was sitting at the entrance of the collapse house looking up at the stars. Behind him Armin was treating the soldier that they found in amongst the ruins when they first returned to Wall Maria. The male was a few years older than them and a cadet. They could tell that much because he didn't have any crest on his jacket.

They didn't know his name though other that it started with 'Mar'. He kept slipping in and out of consciousness. He had a broken leg and his right arm had the bone sticking out when they found him. Using their limited knowledge of medicine they managed to patch him up. But until Mikasa had stolen it from the market earlier, they didn't have any pain killers.

The only reason any titan that came near hadn't found him was because Armin kept him hidden under some of his molted feathers or Eren and Mikasa would lure them away and take them out. The only reason they hadn't moved him to the other humans was because they didn't know how to do that without the normal thinking they had been the ones to attack him.

The small fire they could afford for tonight was cracking merrily in what remained of the house's fireplace. Giving it a warmth they missed for the three years of their enslavement.

"Eren?"

Eren looked up to see his foster sister come out of the house and took a seat next to him.

"Are you alright? Did that short man from earlier hurt you?" Mikasa growled predatorily. "If so…I'll rip out his throat and feast on his entrails."

"Uh…Mikasa, nyan? You're scaring me." Eren said with a shudder. If there was anything that Mikasa surely got from her wolf side, it was the 'pack' instinct.

Mikasa stopped growling. "Oh…sorry…"

Eren felt his cat instincts simmer down and he looked back up at the stars. Something he sorely missed when they were imprisoned by that monster.

"So what did happen?"

Eren twitched.

"You're not going to let this go are you?" he asked.

"Let what go?" Armin asked as he careful stooped so his wings wouldn't hit the sloping ceiling.

Like Mikasa and Eren; Armin wasn't a perfect experiment either. Eren's mind took fused more with the cat along with a verbal tic, Mikasa had a strong sense of pack mentality that made it hard for her to trust anyone but her pack unless they trusted them too

. Armin had a physical eagle trait that stuck with him. Even in human form his wings stayed on his back. It made him so self-conscious that he kept on a cloak they had stolen from a clothesline in a mountain village to keep them hidden.

'_But it was the fact we weren't perfect is what kept us alive_.' Eren thought. His mind was briefly filled with the cold darkness where he spent three years alone until in a hysteric rampage he killed his guards and escaped to the area where Mikasa and Armin were. Even three years later being in a cloistered dark area for more than a minute would send him into a panic.

They spent two years hiding in the mountains and forests from both titans and humans until they could recover mentally and physically. While Mikasa and Armin would hide in caves, Eren would take to the treetops, every night in the mountains except for when it rained.

"Eren? Eren?"

Eren looked up at Mikasa's worried face and gave her a smile.

"I'm okay. Just lost in memories."

The trio sat in silence. The only noise coming from the crackling fire and Mar's breathing.

"So…what did the short man do that is making your tail curl?" Armin asked.

-It's a page break! Kaa!-

The sun rose over the ruins of Wall Maria early. Levi was twitching as he led his horse through the gates that once separated the Rose and Maria. His head was still throbbing from a soldier's statement this morning.

_*flashback_*

"What? There are some kids running around the Shinganshina ruins?" shouted a member of the Stationary Guard.

Around them were soldiers from different branches. Recon, Military Police, Stationary…even a palace guard!

"But…how…the guards on Maria would have notice them." Someone muttered.

Hanji coughed. "Well…yes…if they were looking for ordinary children…but the two Heichou followed yesterday had the ability to turn into a wolf and a cat…Wild animals are something that no one would really see as 'odd to see around some ruins' would they?"

"So…there are two-"

"Possibly three or four." Levi interrupted. "I overheard the girl mention another one and a 'guest'."

"Did the girl have long black hair?" asked a member of the military police.

"She did."

The man frowned. "Then it sounds like it was the same girl who was stealing in the market yesterday. We were looking for a girl, not a cat."

"Actually the girl turns into a wolf. The cat shape shifter was the boy."

"What did she steal?" asked a new recruit Jean.

"A few loaves of bread, a blanket hanging on a laundry line and some medicine for fevers." Replied another.

"Is this the same cat boy who interrupted lunch yesterday?"

"Yes."

"So…we're looking for Heichou's new pet kitten?" they joked.

If looks could kill they would have been dead a hundred times over. Meanwhile several officers were looking at Levi as if they had just discovered the truth of the universe.

_*End flashback*_

"Fan out everyone. And remember, we need them alive." Hanji said sternly.

The groups started to divide up. Levi wanted to roll his eyes as he heard one of his new recruits start calling out _'here kitty, kitty.'_

"That's not going to work." Levi scolded. "You just can't yell out 'here kitty, kitty, kitty…' and expect a cat to jump out at you."

That day Levi decided the universe hated him, because no sooner did he say those words a very familiar black cat with bright green eyes jumped out and landed on his head.

"Ooh! Look how tall I am!" the cat meowed.

Levi twitched.

"You should look for another perch, Heichou's too short to be a good one." Someone shouted.

Levi mentally vowed to find that annoying voice and stick the person on stable mucking duty for the next week or give them an ass kicking.

"GET OFF MY HEAD!" he snapped.

The cat jumped into the air, a pop of smoke and flash of light later, and landing in the shambled road was a barefoot fifteen boy. He wore worn clothing with a khaki shirt a size too big and trousers torn at the knees. His green eyes looked very curious.

But what drew their attention was the twitching black cat ears on his head and fluffy tail. Something that had not been visible under his frayed cloak the other day.

"Nyan?"

There was a pause…then a loud squeal of "SO CUTE!" from the females in the area.

The boy yowled at the loud noise and turned back into a cat, running off into the ruins. Several of the girls looked disappointed. One of them looked at Levi with pleading eyes.

"Heichou…"

"No."

"But-"

"No. If you want the cat boy, do it yourself." Levi snapped as he led his horse off to another area. Unaware of the kitten curiously following him in the shadows.

-Page Break…Aru…-

Two kilometers into the ruins Jean and his small team was walking around the ruins cautiously. They had yet to run into any living titans. They did find what was left of several with X shaped wounds on their necks or crushed.

Plus…

"Is anyone besides me noticing…all the birds?" Connie asked uneasily as he saw another flock of large predatory birds watching them from their perches on collapsed chimneys.

"You know, I think this is the first time I saw a hawk outside the mountains." Sasha mused aloud. "They never even make it to Wall Rose."

"Not surprising considering their diets are primarily meat." Jean added. "I doubt they could find much around here either."

The screech of an eagle caught their attention. They looked up to see an eagle swooping down towards a dilapidated house, carrying what looked to be a bundle in its talons. As it approached the ground to land it dropped the bundle, then shift; turning into a young teenage male with shoulder length blonde hair wearing ragged clothing. As soon as his feet touched the ground he caught the bundle.

But to their surprise his wings remained on his back.

Jean signaled his team to approach quietly. They were able to get close enough to hear the boy's voice.

"Good news Mar! I found some herbs that will help relieve your pain."

"Rea…ly?" rasped a voice. "That's…good…"

Jean flinched. _'No…It can't be…'_

He crawled closer to the entrance and saw the boy leaning over a figure lying by some dying embers. his beg seemed to be made of straw and feathers. He could see some makeshift bandages around the figure's leg. The coppery scent of blood was hinted on the air.

"Is your leg hurting more today?"

"I…I think it feels…a little better…"

"Here, let me check your bandages." The boy stated as he moved to the damaged leg, revealing a familiar face.

"Marco!"

**Armin POV**

I yelped as he was thrown by a man with two toned hair. My back hit the rotting support beam making me cry out as I felt a sharp pain in my left wing. It wasn't broken, but it stung!

"No! Don't touch him! He's still very injured!" I yelled.

The man drew a sword. "What did you do to him?"

"Other that treat his injuries, nothing!" I snapped.

"J-Jean…?"

The man turned to Mar.

'_Ah Mar-co!_'

The man yelled something over his shoulder. Two other people wearing the same uniform as him carefully came in. One was a woman and the other was a bald man.

"Holy Wall! Marco?"

"Where did you find him?"

"Ah, Mikasa found him buried under some rubble when we were looking for food." I replied. I flinched as the woman looked at me curiously.

"Who's Mikasa?"

A feral growl roared from my right at the entrance. I don't need to turn to see who it is.

"Hi Mikasa."

"WOLF!"

**Normal POV**

Levi's head snapped up as he heard his recruits scream. He wasted no time in launching himself into the air with his 3DMG. Out of the corner of his eye he could see several other soldiers following his lead.

From his aerial position he could see a girl in a threadbare dress smashing large stones as she tried to harm Connie and Sasha. A blond boy with wings was trying to help Jean lift an injured man out of harm's way.

"Kill the freak!" shouted an MP as they swooped down and tried to cut the girl.

"Don't get close you idiot!" Levi shouted.

The girl turned and jumped over him. She then grabbed the wires and swung him into his comrades. The girl looked up and growled murderously as she saw Levi.

Faster than they could blink she launched herself at Levi with claws drawn and fangs blaring.

"LEAVE MY PACK ALONE!" the girl screamed.

A blur jumped in front of Levi, stopping the attack. Levi shocked to see the cat boy standing in front of him with his arms open.

"STOP MIKASA!"

"They want to hurt our Pack." She growled.

"WE can't!"

"Mikasa!" the winged boy shouted as he landed between them. "We can't kill them remember? Or do you want to be put in a cage again?"

The girl flinched. "Don't want to…don't want to be enslaved…"

Levi's eyes flickered to a series of numbers on the girl's arms.

**AE331.** Branded on her arm. His eyes wandered to the boys.

**AE332.**

**AE330-X.**

His throat seemed to stop functioning as he recognized those kinds of marks.

Slave brands.

They had been slaves.

Her wolf features receded into her body and she started shaking as she hugged the cat boy.

"Don't want to be trapped in a cage again…" she whimpered.

Levi signaled for the men to stand down. The threat was over.

"Sir!"

"What is it?"

"A cadet report KIA from the Trost battle was found in their care." Replied the soldier. "He's willing to testify on their behalf as only threats if provoked."

Levi nodded.

"So...how do we get them to come with us?"

-Another Page break, nyan!-

The soldiers watched in torn horror and awe as the three skinny teenagers tore into their dinner of lukewarm vegetable soup and slightly stale bread.

"This is so good!" Armin cheered. "Do you guys always eat so well?"

Sasha made several faces of shock and disbelief. They had eaten that kind of food in training camp and it practically killed their taste buds.

It had taken Petra and Krista a few good minutes to convince the animal shape shifters into coming with them. It was the promise of food, clean clothes and a hot bath was overwhelming for them.

Hesitantly, they allowed for the military police to document their slave marks and gave them a small summary of how they found Marco in the rubble of Trost while searching for food when they had first arrived. They also did their best to dodge around Hanji and her inquiries about their abilities.

The cat boy-Eren- had been so frightened by the woman that he shifted and jumped into Levi's arms.

Marco was in the care of the doctors and showed promise of a complete recovery in a few months.

Commander Erwin was in the corner of the mess hall 'quietly' arguing with Commander Nile while Pixis looked calmly on.

"We can't tear them apart."

"They attack my men. That…freak needs to be imprisoned or executed."

Pixis raised a brow as he saw the three flitch at the man's words despite being across the hall.

"Your men were trying to kill them." Erwin retorted.

"Nile…they were slaves…" Pixis stated slowly as if explaining something to a child. "If you tried to capture them…there is a good chance they wouldn't go without a fight…"

Suddenly a rather ragged man smelling strongly of spirits and whiskey stumbled through the mess hall doors. Several recognized him as Hannes, a former member of the Stationary Guard who had abruptly quit after the Wall Maria fell when he had a sudden mental breakdown.

The man looked at the startled teenage shifter and choked back a sob.

"Eren? Mikasa? Armin?"

The cat boy's ear flickered at the first name. "Nyan? Hannes?"

Hannes fell to the ground and began chanting 'thank God' over and over.

"You know them?" Nile asked curiously.

"They were kidnapped by Smiling Titan after the Colossal destroyed the wall." Hannes gasped as if it was blade being torn from his chest. "I tried to stop it, but the monstrosity just swallowed them and kept going...I thought...I thought they were dead...all this time..."

A cup dropped and cracked on the stone floor. The room was silent. As one the soldiers turned and looked at the teenagers still eating the soup and stale bread like it was their first real meal in several years.

Children…who had been enslaved…by titans.

And who managed to escape.


	3. A New Home

Cat, Wolf, Eagle

9foxgrl

* * *

**As you have noticed by now, the Pack are a little OC. Here is why.**

**Armin's is unsecure because of his wings, however he can be predatory if provoked. **

**Mikasa's enslavement makes her paranoid of strangers, and if you were to endanger her Pack she would go feral. **

**Eren's mind is fused with that of a cat, hence he's curious about everything and gets attached to a few people.**

* * *

Whispers were fluttering around the hall making the shape shifters feel a little uneasy. The ideas of Titans being used to capture children to enslave them was startling news. Mikasa whined nervously while Armin shifted, his wings itching to fly into the safety of the blue beyond.

Eren's ears flickered curiously as he picked up a few words. "What do ya think they want to know?"

"They probably know more than we do." Armin whispered back. His wings noticeably shivering. "I mean we just learned a little bit about their ranks when we were trapped and they've been fighting them for _years_..."

"TITANS HAVE RANKS?"

"Never mind…"

Suddenly the strange woman Hanji was sitting in front of them with a pen and paper. Her eyes huge and sparkling behind her glasses.

"Alright my lovelies; tell me everything you know about the Titans. Starting with their ranks!"

Armin nodded and raised four fingers. "There are three main ranks of Titans; Variants, Abnormals, Shifters, and the rare fourth; the Overlords."

"The deformed Titans are called Variants. They are lowest and weakest level with the more animalistic instincts and more out of proportion bodies. Those are the usual ones that go out and attack humanity."

"Second are the Abnormals; they are similar to Variant but have a more…humanistic sense of intelligence. Enough to carry out a single order such as 'attack the rear flanks' or 'capture children'." Mikasa spat.

"Next are the Shifters." Eren added. "They were the Beast's earlier experiments. The ones who can change between their human and Titan forms at will." Armin added. The atmosphere in the room became frigid.

"What?"

"There are humans who can become Titans?" Hanji asked, her pen dropped on the table with a thud.

"We think they were experiments too." Eren said hesitantly. "In the prison where I was held…there was always screaming when the Abnormals would bring in some new captives. I've never seen more than one leave after though…"

"Ever get a look at their faces?" asked a tall tan man.

Eren shook his head. "My prison was in a dark tunnel…no lights…Just heard their voices…and the Titan's footsteps…"

"The guards…were they Titans?" a shy looking girl asked.

Armin nodded. "Yes, but they were all Abnormals. The ones that guarded Mikasa and my prison in the mountainside were at least 20m."

"Finally there are the Overlords; Titans who possess not only human intelligence, but are capable of -controlling hundreds of Titans. We've only met one…and it was the Beast."

-Time for a page break...Brats...-

The day dwindled into a week of meetings between the military commanders about what to do with the shape shifters. With their knowledge of the Titans and the general area of where they 'originated' from…they were too valuable to lose back to the wilderness.

Nile argued heavily about the girl being placed in his custody for her thievery and security risks involving her temper and strength.

Pixis argued against it, claiming that separating the three would only trigger that temper.

Erwin agreed, then he masterfully exploited the fact that Eren was attached to Levi and the three would be of better use in the Recon Corps where they could use their knowledge to successfully explore outside the walls.

Finally after much more arguing, throwing of furniture, and shouting; it was decided that the three would be placed in the protective custody of the Recon Corps.

-Another page break...TITANS~!-

Levi awoke to a strange feeling. There was something or rather someone on his bed curled up next to him…And purring? He twitched as he looked down at his chest to see Eren curled up by him…wearing only a long pajama shirt.

Hearing his 'pillow's' breathing change, Eren opened his eyes and looked at him blearily.

"Good morning, Nyan." He meowed as he rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED JAGER?" he shouted, it made Eren yowl and his ears and tail popped out. "You're supposed to have been in the basement."

Eren started trembling and tears started to form at his eyes. "But…it was cold and dark…Don't wanna go back…to the darkness…."

"Okay, okay…no darkness…" Levi said, hesitantly hugging him hoping to avoid a crying fit. "How did you find me anyway?

"I picked up your scent, Nyan." Eren replied happily as he nuzzled him.

Suddenly the door slammed open.

"Hey Levi! We can't find Eren anywhere-"

Hanji froze as she saw Levi hugging the half-naked Eren on the bed. Her face flushed red and she turned around screaming; "I'M SORRY, TAKE YOUR TIME!"

"What was that about Nyan?" Eren asked.

Levi's face burned red.

When the two entered the mess hall for breakfast (fully dressed) there were a few whistles thrown around and Mikasa growling like a feral animal when Eren followed Levi to a table and snatched a mug of milk for himself with a delighted purr. Levi twitched when the whispers began.

"Should have known…"

"Yup."

"That's why Heichou doesn't date anyone…"

"He has a cat fetish."

Levi's head painfully met the table making Eren meow nervously.

"Is he okay?"

"Oh he's fine." Erwin said with a devilish grin. "He's just been forced to face reality, that's all."

Eren's ear flicked back curiously. "Nyan?"


	4. To Prove our Worth

Cat, Wolf, Eagle

Days passed slowly for the Recon Corps as they prepared to move to a renovated base north of Trost. Erwin had been subtle pushing more and more at a future expedition in the coming months. That and he was determined to get away from the busy districts.

Since word of the animal shape shifters leaked out to the general public there were throngs of people from almost every social caste trying to sneak or demand for a look at them. The first incident was when a priest saw the boys in the market with a guard to get new clothes. He started to call them demons and tried to exorcise them with garlic and 'holy oil'.

Some overexcited children saw Mikasa and called her 'Ms. Wolf' and even asked to pet her tail.

Then a spoiled little girl actually tried to demand to Levi that she be given Eren as a pet. She promptly fled in tears after said cat shifter verbally tore her a new one calling her a variety of insults and hissing at her. And that was before Mikasa had to be restrained by her Pack brothers and two other scouts before she tried to throw the girl over Wall Sina.

"This forest is so small compared to the ones in the mountains." Armin said in awe as he landed on the horse with Jean after scouting the scenery from the air. Mikasa merely nodded as she rode on a horse with Petra.

"How far did you see in the outside?" Connie asked.

"Nothing but mountains and valleys for ten full moons." Mikasa answered. "But we were too busy running from Variants and Abnormals to really enjoy the scenery."

"How did you get away?" Reiner asked.

Mikasa eyes narrowed at his voice. Armin twitched, Eren who was running ahead as a cat, leaping from tree to tree paused, his ears flickered back until they laid flat. They didn't know why the kind man and his friend Bertolt put them on edge. Only that their instincts screamed danger.

"We worked together to trap them and slaughtered the lot." Was her flat reply.

"Oy brat, don't get too far ahead or you'll be eaten by a hawk." Levi called out as Eren leapt across the path onto another tree.

Eren landed on a branch and shifted into his halfway form. His tail wiggled playfully.

"Nyan, they won't. They respect Armin too much to eat me." He replied as he leapt back into another tree before whooping in joy. "Hey I found some wild fruit!"

"What does he mean by that?" Erwin asked as Eren tossed a sour apple to Connie.

Armin just whistled and a small song bird swooped down and landed on his shoulder.

"Because of my eagle form I can understand most birds that I've met. Some of them are willing to help me scout for Titans or just look for food."

The bird squawked something to Armin before taking off. His face lit up.

"She just said that there is some good rabbit hunting nearby in the mornings."

Mikasa's face lit up. "We just need some wild greens and we could make rabbit stew."

"How far can they travel to warn you of Titans?" Erwin asked curiously.

"Umm…the farthest are eagles which can tell me six kilometers in advance. Then there was four kilometers for hawks, and two for most small birds." Armin answered. "But that's in the day. At night Mikasa or Eren would be your best bet. If its humid or raining Eren would be better."

"That would definitely come in handy for expeditions." Gunter mused. "At least so we can ensure all the squads will be safe."

"Yeah, it's a good thing Heichou is such a cat lover. Otherwise the Military Police would have never let them go." Someone snickered, making Levi turn around and glare at them.

"Save your energy, we're here."

The castle which was once the Recon Corps base in the past was vast. Towering over them, the three orphans just marveled in awe. Armin couldn't help but fly up to the highest tower and perch on the roof to get a view.

When they entered the castle Eren was looking around curiously until Levi grabbed him by the shirt collar and started to drag him to one of the upper levels.

"Where are we going nyan?"

"We need to clean out these rooms. This castle is filthy!" Levi snapped as they reached the second level and he grabbed a broom and a handkerchief then opened the shutters to air out a room and sweep like there was no tomorrow.

Eren watched for a minute before mewing happily and started to help, his tail gripping a duster as he swept. Levi only paused to look at the odd sight of the half-cat cleaning, it made him fight back a snicker as it looked like a scene from a twisted fairy tale.

It was all quiet…until a mouse decided to grace them with its presence.

CRASH!

The squad on the first level all looked up as they heard screaming and the yowls of an angry cat. Those brave enough to climb the stairs were greeted by the sight of a mouse being chase by a half-cat and 'Humanity's Strongest' with a broom through the halls in a manner that would have made the Mystery Gang and Scooby Doo proud.

"GET THAT FLEA INFESTED RODENT!"

"ANNIHILATE NYAN!"

The next morning was quiet…unless you count the near heart attack Levi had waking up to find Eren curled up on his bed again. Even after he locked the doors and windows. The recruits were thrown into morning endurance drills with the Pack joining them. Levi however forbade them from the hand to hand combat portion as he feared they would potentially harm someone.

This was proven true when Mikasa decided to spar Eren and threw him over ten meters into the air. Luckily, the proverb of 'cats always land on their feet' proved true.

Armin soon found his way to a section of the castle where Hanji was doing her…questionable experiments on Titans. Thus meeting Sonny and Bean.

"What are you hoping to gain out of this?" Armin asked as he watched the other squad members warily walk around the bound Titans.

"Well, I had hoped that we could get some information on how their behaviors can vary." Hanji replied. "Like why they attack humans but leave animals alone."

Armin just stared, then took off his cloak revealing his golden-bronze eagle wings. He then started to approach the two Titans who had just been roaring, but now looked confused.

Armin ruffled his wings a bit before opening them up to their full four feet span.

The Titans definitely now looked confused.

Armin flapped up into the air and hovered dangerously close to the two. Even briefly landing on their shoulders. Neither acted aggressively however. They just look confused.

Armin then shifted into his eagle form and flew up to their eye level before heading back to a poleaxed Hanji and turned back to normal. He cautiously plucked a loose feather and handed it to her.

"Abnormal and Variant type Titans track based on scents, at least that's Mikasa's theory. Since mine is permanently fused with an avian scent it makes it hard for them to tell if I'm human or animal."

Armin careful folding his wings and hid them under his cloak again before returning to the castle. He pause as he called over his shoulder.

"Oh and be careful with that feather. It doubles as a knife."

Hanji blinked in confusion until her assistant Molbit took the feather and ran it across a nearby fence post. A three inch piece fell off as the feather left the surface. Their pole axed expression had the Titans laughing.

In the barrack wing; Mikasa found herself alone in the female general quarter as she organized her meager belongings and began to make up her bed for the coming night. She didn't like being away from her Pack at night, but she would have to follow the rules so they could keep the roof over their head and warm food in their bellies. Her eyes flickered to the outfits that the female soldiers had given her. They were not the fanciest of the latest fashion line, but they were a big improvement over the faded threadbare blue dress and oversize coat that Eren and Armin had found in a cottage ruin for her to have.

But she still missed the lovely red scarf Eren had given her when she first joined his family.

Her once knotted and long raven locks had been neatly combed and trimmed to shoulder length by the kind Petra to whom according to Mikasa was the Recon's 'den mother'. She looked out for all the younger members of the Recon Corps and was the only one not afraid of Mikasa initially.

The other girls, while kind (or in Hanji's case strange, and Annie's case gave off a dangerous vibe), were afraid of her predator form especially when she growled.

'_Oh well…maybe in time they will not be so scared of me…' _

Sasha came running in looking hysteric, she hastily put on her 3DMG, pausing only to double check the straps.

"What's wrong?"

"Your friend just got a message from a hawks. A large number of Titans have begun to head towards Trost! Commander Erwin has sent another message ahead to the Stationary Guard but we'll be going too!"

-Time for a page break...-

The rumble of horse hooves against the streets was the only noise as the citizens had been evacuated far from the hole where the Stationary Guard had set up a net in hopes of slowing any Titan down. Up on the Wall stood several soldiers at the ready as Titans began to appeared on the horizon.

Erwin and Levi rode in the lead, Mikasa who was riding with Petra suddenly sniffed the air. "Multiple scents, at least three kilometers away."

"Can you tell what kind of Titan it is?"

"I can't, their scent alone is hard to track as it is." Mikasa replied, she turned to the eagle that had been flying above them. "Armin, fly ahead and get the numbers."

The eagle screeched in reply and took off at a higher angle.

Eren gripped tightly to Levi's cape as the horses were slowed, he recognized some of the soldiers from before, including the one who wanted to kill Mikasa glaring at him.

The Pack had to argue for their right to help fight the incoming Titans. Even still they were ordered to stay in range of a squad leader at all times.

"You're missing one." The glaring man grunted.

Erwin pointed up to an incoming eagle. "He's right there."

Armin shifted as he landed. He was breathing a little hard.

"There's at least ten Variants, and twenty Abnormals."

"Why so many?"

Eren hissed. "They've probably come for more test subjects for our former warden."

Mikasa nodded in agreement.

"Well then it's a good thing all the children and noncombatants were already evacuated to the ferries." Commander Pixis stated as he and his top two soldiers approached.

Eren half listened to the older men quickly prepare a battle strategy. Suddenly his cat ears flickered to the side as he heard a distant repetitive thud. Mikasa heard it too and growled warningly.

Armin paled as an overhead bird screech.

"Oh…crap…"

"What is it?"

Armin shook. "It's…a Jumping Titan."

The three stood in pause before Mikasa began to bark out orders.

"Armin; I want you to separate it from the horde so I can knock it off balance! Eren get up on the wall; as soon as it stops moving go in for the kill!"

"YES MA'AM!" the two yelled as they took to their positions.

"What are you two-"

"No time to explain, so unless you want this place a crater, stay out of our way!" Mikasa yelled back as she took off towards the wall, she jumped through an opening in the net before shifting into her wolf form.

Several soldiers on the Wall were watching in awe as Armin and several other large predatory birds circled a small 6m Titan that had been in the back of the horde until it started to jump, creating small tremors and craters in its wake, and maneuvered it away. As it approached the wall where Eren sat in a crouch waiting, his tail flicked to the side and his claws seemed to be glistening strikingly against the dark fabric of his coat, Mikasa ran at full speed then jumped and shifted back into her human form. She kicked the Titan in the ankle causing it to stumble forward, exposing its neck.

Eren took that opportunity to jump and lash at it with his shimmering gold claws. The Titan quickly fell as an X shaped incision appeared at the base of its neck.

"Holy Sina…"

The Pack quickly returned to the interior.

"Sorry about that, but those Jumpers are a pain in the tail just in the mountains when they get over you and cause landslides, I don't want to know if any of them can jump over a Wall yet." Mikasa said sheepishly. "The last one was a 10m and it chased us for several kilometers before we could get behind and kill it."

"You've…faced something like before?"

"Six times." Eren replied. Suddenly his ears went flat and he growled. Jumping from his perch he leapt onto a nearby building then flipped over just as a fast Abnormal tore through the net. He curled up as he spun over it and slashed downwards, cutting the neck precisely.

"Nyan~! You'll have to better than that!"

"The Titans are coming!"

"ATTACK!"

-Another page break...What? You expecting entertainment Brat?-

Levi had swung around the Titan as he sliced its neck. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Eren darting along the rooftops, luring Titans away from injured soldiers towards the capable squads or taking them out himself.

Armin and a small flock of birds flew through the air as warnings where Titans hide cleverly for an ambush. Occasionally diving to divert a surprise attack or as he was now, trying to save someone who was about to be eaten.

Armin plucked out a long feather and started to swoop around. When he reached the hand he slashed the fingers off with the feather, safely releasing Annie.

"Thanks…" she said as she shot her wires and started to get back to the formation.

She passed Mikasa who practically tackled a Titan in order to expose its weak point to the blades of the squad she was assisting.

Suddenly a piercing scream made their stomach drop. They turned to see an Abnormal that had made its way through the chaos in order to snatch a child right off a ferry and was about to swallow her whole as it headed back out the wall.

Levi watched in awe as Eren seemed to blend into the shadows and dart at an incredible speed over the roofs in order to reach the Titan as it opened its jaw. Armin saw what he was doing and dove down to catch them.

Eren shoved the child into Armin's arms just as the Titan's mouth closed. He had been fast enough to save the child, but not himself. Armin screamed as he watched the Titan swallow his friend.

"EREN!"

Mikasa heard Armin's scream and froze as she saw the Titan swallow. An uneasy feeling settled in her stomach.

"Oh God."

Sasha landed beside her. "Mikasa?"

"We need to run away from that Titan…NOW!"

Inside the Titan Eren opened his eyes and found himself in a dark pit that reeked of decaying bodies and blood. His heart started racing as his mind wandered back to his prison.

A pit of darkness with nothing but the scent of blood and death around him. The cries of the damned screaming out for help. A wall of bars blocking his only escape.

'_Dark…so Dark…IT'S DARK!'_

The shifters were running as fast as their legs and wings could carry them. They were screaming for everyone to fall back just as the bearded titan's stomach exploded followed by the head. A blood soaked blur jumped out and landed on the streets hunched over like it had fainted on its feet.

"Eren!" someone shouted.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!

"GET AWAY!"

Their fears were confirmed when a monstrous feral scream tore from Eren's mouth and gold and green lightning started to jump around and contort his body.

_To Be Continued..._


	5. Feral

Cat, Wolf, Eagle

Mikasa was gripping the roof as tremors of fear coursed through her body. Her animal instincts were screaming at her to run as Eren's howls of pain quieted. There was a large pillar of steam in place. A pair of bright green eyes that radiate rage peered out from inside it. As the wind blew away in its place was what could only be described as a monster.

Crouched on all fours with claws that were digging into the ground. His black hair had become shaggy and untamed. A pair of fangs had replaced his canines. But it was the eyes that were the most horrifying. They were glowing like hot coals in a fire radiating of bloodlust.

It by all rights and reasons gave Eren the appearance of a very feral cat.

Eren roared, his animalistic howl silenced the battlefield. Even the Titans stopped in their in slaughter.

From her perch on Wall Rose, Hanji saw what looked to be a flicker of fear in the eyes of the Titans.

Even faster than before, Eren was gone in a blur and began to tear apart the Titans. But unlike last time when he simply sliced the neck, in his feral state his claws were ripping through them as if their bodies was made of wet paper.

The 16m he targeted first went down in a gory mess.

'_Crap, this is getting bad!'_ Armin thought as he gave the girl back to her distraught parents_. 'There aren't enough Titans here to wear him out…and last time we had to trap Him in a gulley just to keep him still long enough to snap him out of it…How can we slow him down now?'_

Mikasa was having similar thoughts as she watched her pack brother tear apart another Titan.

"Err…Mikasa?" asked Reiner nervously.

"Yes?" she replied with a lack of bite that she normally showed to the man.

"…Umm…you do know how to stop him right?"

Mikasa looked around, her eyes paused at the gate then she looked at a shocked Stationary Guard.

"Do you have another net?"

"N-no."

"Then we have to improvise. Everyone with a 3DMG follow me."

'_Annihilate…Annihilate…ANNIHALATE!'_

The feral cat-teen tore through the last Titan by simply slashing its head off. Levi swerved midair to avoid the blood rain.

"Oi! Eren snap out of it!" he shouted.

This seem to make Eren pause, long enough for several soldiers to fire their grappling hooks at angles that trapped Eren in a web. The feral cat screamed and howled as he tried to break free. Many had to dig their feet into the ground to keep from being dragged or slammed.

Finally the screams stopped. And steam started to come off Eren's body.

In a few minutes there was no longer a half cat or a feral cat tangled up in the wires. Just Eren who looked exhausted and practically dead to the world around him.

His feline appendages were gone in wisps of stream. But it was exactly that that made Levi realize just how much Eren had been relying on his cat mind state to keep him sane.

Eren's eyes that were always full of curiosity were now empty and broken.

* * *

_I know, I know. You were expecting for Eren to turn into a Titan. But do not despair, the possibility of Eren being able to turn into a Titan is still there. It's too bad ass an ability to give up permanently. _

_Sorry for the delay, but I've been working the night shift the last two weeks. _


	6. Unseen Scars

Cat, Wolf, Eagle

Eren POV

_My heart was pounding in my chest as our dark murky prison stopped swaying. I closed my eyes and covered my mouth and nose in time to prevent a wave of blood from almost drowning me. Beside me Mikasa and Armin struggled to stay afloat._

_How cruel it was. We were in an ocean…but instead of a body of salty water, it was full of blood and decaying bodies. _

_Suddenly our prison lurched. We were expelled and landed somewhere cold and dark. _

"_Only three?"_

"_The others were either crushed or evacuated." A male's voice replied. "They practically ran directly to us." _

_I tried not to move, but a large foot met my ribs violently, making me cry out and look up and see a truly monstrous face. _

Normal POV

"Oi! Eren!" Levi shouted as he tried to snap the teen out of whatever trance he was in. His empty eyes just stared straight at him.

Around them were the numerous wires that ten soldiers had to use in order to restrain him.

"Eren!" Hanji yelled as she approached them. She crouched down beside Levi and quickly checked the teen's vitals.

"He's breathing, but he's unresponsive." Hanji murmured.

"It's no use." Mikasa replied as she took a fallen cloak and wrapped it around Eren. "That…Feral form is triggered by a psychological response to being trapped in the darkness."

Levi lowly gasped as he remembered just how fearful Eren was at the idea of being in any enclosed dark space such as the dungeons or basements.

"We should imprison him!" someone shouted, only to be met with numerous looks of _'wth are you stupid?'_

"What could have happened to have caused such a response?" Hanji muttered as a Levi tried to touch Eren only to have the teen immediately turn into a cat. Levi lightly tsked but picked the cat up, he frowned a bit as he could feel tiny trembles in the feline's body.

"So how do we snap him out of this?" Jean asked. He may not entirely like the brat but he didn't think that Eren freezing up after '_kicking Titan asses'_ was very effective or healthy.

"Sometimes he snaps out of it himself…" Armin replied as he watched Levi mount his horse and slowly rode away with the cat.

"And other times?"

Armin grimaced.

We're at a page break…I LOVE POTATOES!

_It was so cold. _

_After the monster saw that I was awake he ordered some Titans to carry us into this dark smelly room where they pushed something hot on our arms. I could hear Mikasa and Armin scream at the the top of their longs. Then he forced something…foul into our mouths. _

_The pain…the pain…it made my body burn until I blacked out. _

_When I came to I was in a dark room…chained to a wall by my legs._

"_Mikasa! Armin!" I called out. My throat hurt, it still burned from whatever that foul stuff was. No one answered me. Someone shoved in a bowl of water and a plate of scraps. _

_There was a sharp pain radiating from the top of my head and my lower back. My eyes hurt too. Finally after what felt like an eternity I collapsed again. _

_I woke up in that smelly room again. Only this time I was chained to a large table…and…I could see. _

_The room…I knew it was still dark…but at the same time I could see! _

_And the noises…they were louder. _

"_Ah, awake are we?"_

_I looked up as a bright light hit my new sensitive eyes. That...monster was back! _

_I lost count of how long I was in that room. In that time I heard the monster speaking about 'cats' and 'claws'. But when all the examination and poking was done the monster carved an X into my arm. _

"_It seems we have a new extreme outliner." The monster said with a yellow tooth grin. "Tenth out of three hundred."_

_He shouted something and another Titan came in and carried me off. We kept going through a mountain valley where there were cells carved into the walls. _

"_EREN!" _

_I looked up and saw Mikasa and Armin behind the bars of two high up cells. _

"_MIKASA! ARMIN!" I shouted. I tried to claw my out of the Titan's grip but it just roared at me. _

_Finally we arrived into a large dark tunnel. My new eyes could just make out the outline of two more Titans standing near the entrance of a path leading into an endless abyss. _

_Oh god…it was so dark. I could only tell when a day passed when a small glimmer of light passed through the tunnel. Every time I saw that glimmer I would scratch my wall. _

_But one day…I lost it…_

Levi had been working at his desk when a weak meow drew his attention away. He looked into the basket by his side where Eren had been sleeping.

For the last five days Eren had stayed in cat form, barely responsive, not eating or drinking at all. Mikasa and Hanji had been force-feeding him with spoonfuls of warm milk mixed with oats. But the boy still didn't wake up.

They had suggested that Levi take care of him since Eren seemed to be attached to him.

"Hey brat, I wondered how long you were going to sleep." Levi murmured as he lifted the cat out of the basket. The cat blinked before there was a pop of smoke and light as Eren returned to his half-cat form. "So…are you going to explain what the Hell that was about?"


	7. Battle Preparations

Cat, Wolf, Eagle

Eren's instincts told him to run but Levi was firmly holding him in place. His pupil's dilated, revealing a gold ring around the iris.

"Please let go nyan." He pleaded.

Levi's grip tightened, his nails digging into his arms a little.

"Eren, if you are a possible danger to my squad I need to know." He growled as the teen shook. "What the Hell is scarring you-"

"ME!" Eren screamed. "Do you really think I don't know that I'm dangerous?"

He grabbed his head and cried out. "Mikasa and Armin hide it…but I can see it in their eyes! They're scared of me. They have scars on their bodies from when they tried to stop my feral state. I'm just a monster-"

SLAP!

Eren felt the hand print stinging on his cheek then the sensation of the cold floor as Levi pushed him down.

"Who am I Eren?" Levi asked.

"Humanity's Strongest…."

"And?"

"Heichou?"

Levi growled. "I am a human being…who has killed. Titans and the rare human."

Eren's eyes seemed to pop open.

"Yeah humans. Let's just say I'm pretty well known in the Capital and it wasn't because of my titan slaying skills."

The door flew open as Petra and Aururo came flying in. "HEICHOU! ALL OFFICERS ARE TO REPORT TO DANCHOU'S OFFICE IMMEDIETLY."

She stopped as she saw that Levi was not at his desk, but on the floor straddling the pinned down Eren. They froze at Levi's annoyed look and Eren's flustered look.

"I'M SORRY FOR INTERUPTING!" the two screamed and bolted out.

"…I really need to lock that door."

-A page break nyan!-

The assembled officers arrived in separate parties to Erwin's office. It was larger than the others in the castle but that was expected. Several took up a corner standing or crowded on the couch to facing a large black board beside Erwin's desk. Some had even raided the pot of tea.

"Now that everyone is assembled…I am announcing our 57th expedition will happen in one month. We will be doing a sweep of the entire area of Wall Maria and finish in Shinganshina."

"But sir, didn't we clear it when we went to get those kids?" Mike asked.

"Not exactly. The only thing we really did was locate a clear path to the exterior of the district." Erwin explained as he drew a line from the Kanases district towards Shiniganshina on the chalk board. "This is the only clear area of Wall Maria. 100 km by 20 km."

"Why?"

"They're afraid to cross into _His_ territory."

Everyone turned to look at Hanji who had a stern look on her face.

"A few days ago Armin was able to get near Sonny and Bean without even be attacked. Eren…when he went feral…I swore that I saw fear in the Titan's eyes. Like they realized that they had crossed into the territory of a dangerous predator." Hanji mused.

"That still doesn't explain the path."

"It does." Hanji replied. "Armin explained that most of the lesser intelligent Titans left them alone because they could not distinguish if they were human or animal from their scents. That would almost clarify that on some level, Titans have animalistic instincts…and will clear out of areas where a more dangerous predator lives and hunts."

"Eren." Levi clarified. "The in that Feral form of his, he became the predator and the Titans were prey. And the path-"

"-Must have been the one they were using to get from Shinganshina to Wall Rose."

Mike put down his cup. "Do you remember what they said when we asked about their experience battling Titans? For roughly ten months they were chased by the Titans…meaning…"

"Meaning in those months there could have been numerous times that Eren possibly went feral in order to fight them, and in that time their instincts began to recognize him as something dangerous."

"That would explain why the Titans have been avoiding Trost." Erwin added. "Along with the possibility of a clear path outside the walls."

The officers looked excited at the thought of a clear path, even if it had been created by a murderous teenager.

"We have one month to get the rookies up to scrap. At the same time I want the squad leaders to meet with Armin."

"Eh? Why?"

"As we have seen those birds of his are a boon to us. We're getting him to train some messenger birds for us right now."

"So the brats are coming with us to?"

"Dibs on Mikasa!" someone shouted before an argument broke out. Before fists could start flying however, a loud ominous howl outside the window made them shut up.

"There is something else." Erwin stated seriously. "Levi, I only need you to stay behind for this. The rest of you are dismissed."

Erwin waited until everyone had filed out before looking at the younger man with a grave look.

"The Capital is worried that Eren may be more of a hazard then helpful…so until further notice you're his keeper Levi."

"I understand." Levi replied as he started to leave.

"Oh and Levi?"

"Eh?"

"If you're going to make an advance on Eren again…remember to lock the door."

Erwin had to admit to himself, that he really enjoyed slamming the door on Levi's gob smacked face.


End file.
